JP2022088302A - Photoelectric hybrid beam forming transmitter, receiver, and signal processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a photoelectric hybrid beam forming transmitter, a receiver, and a signal processing method, capable of adjusting phase of each path.SOLUTION: A transmitter 100 includes two photoelectric converters, two adjustment circuits, and an antenna array 170, but limited to them. The photoelectric converters convert optical signals o1, o2 to initial electric signals ie1, ie2, respectively. The adjustment circuits are connected to the photoelectric converters, and adapted so as to respectively delay the initial electric signals according to an expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array, for outputting adjusted electric signals aj1, aj2. The antenna array includes two antennas 171, 173 connected to the adjustment circuits. The antenna radiates electromagnetic wave based on the adjusted electric signals. Therefore, phase of the signal is adjusted and the number of configuring element can be reduced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a communication technique, and more particularly to a photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter, a receiver, and a signal processing method.

With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, related application services (such as high resolution video or music streaming, downloading, virtual reality (VR), etc.) are also increasing. To meet the bandwidth requirements of the service, antenna arrays with high energy gain and directivity have been proposed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

On the other hand, there is a shortage of radio frequency band resources. For example, it is difficult for the microwave frequency set in 5G mobile communication to meet the high bandwidth requirement. Additional bandwidth and spectral resources may be provided when the system is combined with fiber optic communication. In addition, the optical antenna array can further increase the antenna gain if the system is further combined with the functionality of the antenna array.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the components of the conventional optical array antenna architecture 10. Referring to FIG. 1, the optical array antenna architecture 10 includes a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) 11, a coupler (CPL) 12, a variable delay line (VDL) 13, and an optical antenna array 14. Different DVL 13s cause wavelength phase differences in different light paths, thereby achieving beamforming. However, optical beamforming in actual practice requires: the wavelength λ1 and wavelength λ2 of the light wave must be precisely adjusted to achieve the expected phase difference; and the phases of the two paths / channels are equal. It takes a real delay to become. The above requirements are relatively difficult to implement.

In view of the above, embodiments of the present invention provide photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitters, receivers, and signal processing methods. In the embodiment of the present invention, the phase of each path is adjusted.

The photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter of the embodiment of the present invention includes (but is not limited to) two photoelectric converters, two adjustment circuits, and an antenna array. The two photoelectric converters are configured to convert two optical signals into two initial electrical signals, respectively. The two tuning circuits are connected to each of the two photoelectric converters and output the two tuning electrical signals, so that the two initial electrical signals are delayed based on the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array. Will be done. The antenna array contains two antennas. The two antennas are connected to each of the two adjustment circuits. The antenna array emits electromagnetic waves based on two regulated electrical signals.

The photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver of the embodiment of the present invention includes (but is not limited to) an antenna array, two adjustment circuits, and two electric-optical converters. The antenna array contains two antennas. The two antennas are configured to receive each of the two received electrical signals. Since the two tuning circuits are connected to the two antennas and output the two tuning electrical signals, they are configured to delay each of the two received electrical signals based on the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array. .. The two electric-optical converters are respectively connected to two adjustment circuits and are configured to convert the two electric signals into two optical signals, respectively.

The photoelectric hybrid beamforming signal processing method of the embodiment of the present invention is adapted to the transmitter and includes (but is not limited to) the following steps. The two optical signals are each converted into an initial electrical signal. Since the two initial electrical signals output the two regulated electrical signals, they are each delayed based on the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array. Based on the two regulated electrical signals, electromagnetic waves are radiated through the antenna array. The antenna array contains two antennas, each corresponding to two regulated electrical signals.

The photoelectric hybrid beamforming signal processing method of the embodiment of the present invention is adapted to the receiver and includes (but is not limited to) the following steps. The two received electrical signals are received via the two antennas in the antenna array, respectively. Since the two received electrical signals output the two regulated electrical signals, they are each delayed based on the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array. The two regulated electrical signals are converted into two optical signals, respectively.

Based on the above, in the photoelectric hybrid beam forming transmitter, receiver, and signal processing method of the embodiment of the present invention, the phase of the electric signal is adjusted (that is, the signal is delayed), and the phase of the signal of each channel is the antenna. A photoelectric converter is provided for each antenna of the transmitter and an electric-optical converter is provided for each antenna of the receiver so that the requirements of the beam pattern of the above can be met. Therefore, unlike conventional architectures, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and variable delay line (VDL) need not be provided in the architecture of the present invention, and thus the number of components can be reduced. In addition, unlike conventional optical beamforming, the photoelectric hybrid beamforming architecture of the embodiments of the present invention can be easily adjusted to a particular phase, thereby completing phase calibration.

In order to further illustrate the features of the present invention, embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the components of a conventional optical array antenna architecture.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components of a photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a light generator according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of component modularization according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of component modularization according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a photoelectric hybrid beamforming signal processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of components of a photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of components of a photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a photoelectric hybrid beamforming signal processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of components of the photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 2, the transmitter 100 includes, but is not limited to, photoelectric transducers 111 and 113, adjustment circuits 131 and 132, an antenna array 170, and a controller 190.

The photoelectric converters 111 and 113 may be photodiodes (PDs), optical detectors, or other optical sensors that convert light into current or voltage signals. In one embodiment, the photoelectric converters 111 and 113 convert the optical signals о1 and о2 into the initial electrical signals ie1 and ie2, respectively.

The adjustment circuits 131 and 133 are connected to the photoelectric converters 111 and 113, respectively. The tuning circuits 131 and 133 may be chips, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microcontrollers, or other types of circuits.

In one embodiment, the adjustment circuits 131 and 133 include a phase shifter. The phase shifter is configured to delay (ie, adjust the phase) the initial electrical signals ie1 and ie2 based on the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array 170. For example, phase shifts are via transmission lines, loads, or lowpass and highpass filters via mechanical switches, relays, PIN diodes, field effect transistors (FETs), or microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), or other switch elements. It is generated by switching.

In another embodiment, in addition to the components for adjusting the phase of the input signal, the adjustment circuits 131 and 133 further include an amplitude attenuator. The amplitude attenuator is configured to adjust the amplitudes of the initial electrical signals ie1 and ie2 based on the beam pattern.

In some embodiments, the tuning circuits 131 and 133 may only include an amplitude attenuator. That is, the phase corresponding to some or all channels in the adjustment circuits 131 and 133 is fixed. In this way, the regulated electrical signals aj1 and aj2 may be output by generating delayed and / or amplitude-altered initial electrical signals ie1 and ie2.

The antenna array 170 includes at least two antennas 171 and 173. The antennas 171 and 173 are connected to the adjustment circuits 131 and 133, respectively. In one embodiment, the antenna array 170 is configured to radiate electromagnetic waves based on the regulated electrical signals aj1 and aj2.

By changing the phase and amplitude corresponding to each antenna 171 and 173, the electromagnetic waves are superimposed on each other in specific directions and deviations based on the interfering with each other and the interference with each other, thereby forming by the radiation of the antenna array 170. Note that the resulting farfield pattern can be equal to a particular beam pattern (this is a field pattern formed by parameters such as main beam direction, beam width, directional gain, secondary beam level, etc.). Involved).

The controller 190 is connected to the adjustment circuits 131 and 133. The controller 190 may be a chip, ASIC, FPGA, microcontroller, or other type of circuit. In one embodiment, the controller 190 outputs the adjustment command C1 so that the adjustment circuits 131 and 133 are controlled by the controller 190.

In some embodiments, the transmitter 100 further comprises amplifiers 151 and 153. The amplifiers 151 and 153 are connected to the adjustment circuits 131 and 133. The amplifier 150 includes one or more amplifiers. The amplifier is, for example, a circuit such as a low noise amplifier or a power amplifier. In one embodiment, the amplifiers 151 and 153 are configured to control the waveform of the output signal so that the waveform of the output signal matches the waveform of the input signal, but the output signal has a larger amplitude. good. In one embodiment, the amplifiers 151 and 153 amplify the regulated electrical signals aj1 and aj2, respectively, in order to output the amplified electrical signals am1 and am2.

In addition, embodiments of the invention may be further applied to architectures with more channels.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 3, the transmitter 200 includes a light generator 205, three or more photoelectric converters 210, three or more transimpedance amplifiers (TIA) 220, three or more adjustment circuits 230, and three or more amplifiers. Includes, but is not limited to, 250, an antenna array 270 (including, but is not limited to, 3 or more antennas) and a controller 290. Each channel corresponds to the antennas of the optical generator 205, 3 or more photoelectric converters 210, TIA 220, tuning circuit 230, amplifier 250, and antenna array 270 connected in series.

The mounting formats of the photoelectric converter 210, the adjustment circuit 230, the amplifier 250, the antenna array 270, and the controller 290 are the photoelectric converters 111 and 113, the adjustment circuits 131 and 133, the amplifiers 151 and 153, the antenna array 170, and the controller in FIG. Each is found in 190's description and will not be repeated here.

The light generator 205 is connected to the photoelectric converter 210. In one embodiment, the light generator 205 is configured to generate a plurality of optical signals о3. For example, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a light generator 205 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the light generator 205 includes, but is limited to, a variable light source TLS, a multiplexer MUX, a modulator IM, a local oscillator LO, an erbium-added fiber optic amplifier EDFA, and a demultiplexer DEMUX. Not done).

The two variable light sources TLS generate optical signals L1 and L2 based on the wavelengths λ3 and λ4. The multiplexer MUX combines two optical signals L1 and L2 having different wavelengths λ3 and λ4 with the optical signal L3. In order to output the optical signal L4, the modulator IM mixes the optical signal L3 based on the reference signal CS provided by the local oscillator LO. Since the erbium-added optical fiber amplifier EDFA outputs the optical signal L5, it amplifies the optical signal L4. The demultiplexer DEMUX demultiplexes the optical signal L5 in order to form the optical signals о3 of different channels.

It should be noted that the light generator 205 may further have other mounting formats, the user may modify the light generator 205 as needed, and the invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, the TIA 220 is connected between the photoelectric converter 210 and the adjustment circuit 230. In one embodiment, the TIA 220 is configured to convert the current signal output by the photoelectric converter 210 into a voltage signal, which may result in more efficient impedance matching when the optical signal is converted into the radio frequency domain. ..

Note that the number of channels in the transmitter 200 may exceed 10 groups, such as 16 groups, 32 groups, or 64 groups. However, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the number of channels. In some embodiments, more antennas in the antenna array 270 may facilitate beamforming. For example, the shape of the main beam is relatively narrow, the directivity gain of the main beam is relatively large, and the amplitude of the sub beam is relatively low, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 3, the transmitter 200 of the embodiment of the present invention provides a photoelectric hybrid (also known as Radio over fiber (RoF)) beamforming architecture. The light generator 205 and the photoelectric converter 210 form an optical beamforming architecture in the optical domain. The tuning circuit 230, the amplifier 250, and the antenna array 270 form an analog beamforming architecture in the radio frequency domain.

In one embodiment, the plurality of components of the transmitter 200 may be packaged together. FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of component modularization according to one embodiment of the present invention. Taking one path (one channel) as an example with reference to FIG. 5A, the photoelectric converter 210 may be packaged as a module M1, and the adjustment circuit 230 and the amplifier 250 may be packaged as a module M2.

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of component modularization according to another embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 5B, the photoelectric converter 210, the TIA 220, the adjustment circuit 230, and the amplifier 250 may be packaged as a module M3. With the new packaging format and TIA 220 following the photoelectric converter 210, impedance matching is improved, which improves efficiency. In addition, once all packaging is complete, the loss during module integration is reduced, which improves overall performance.

Note that in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the components are packaged in a single channel fashion. However, in other embodiments, the components may be packaged in an array fashion (multi-channel scheme) to meet the needs of the multi-channel module. That is, two or more photoelectric converters 210, two or more transimpedance amplifiers 220, two or more adjustment circuits 230, and two or more amplifiers 250 are packaged together. For example, a 1x4 (ie, 4 channel), 1x8 (ie, 8 channel), or 1x16 (ie, 16 channel) array is packaged together.

The following is a description of the operating process of the transmitters 100 and 200. For a clear explanation, the transmitter 200 is mainly used. Descriptions of the same or corresponding components within the transmitter 100 are found in the description of the transmitter 200 and are not repeated herein.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a photoelectric hybrid beamforming signal processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 6, each photoelectric converter 210 receives the optical signal о3 from the optical generator 205 and converts the optical signal о3 into the initial electric signal ie3 (step S610). Each photoelectric converter 210 converts the optical signal о3 into the initial electrical signal ie3 in the form of current or voltage. In one embodiment, when the initial electrical signal ie3 is in current format, each TIA 220 converts the initial electrical signal ie3 into voltage format in order to generate a voltage signal vi. In another embodiment, if the initial electrical signal ie3 is in voltage form, the TIA 220 may be omitted.

Since each adjustment circuit 230 outputs the adjustment electric signal am3, the initial electric signal ie3 may be delayed, respectively, based on the expected beam pattern formed by the corresponding antenna array 270 (step S630). Specifically, the beamforming formed by the radiation of the antennas in the antenna array 270 may have different field patterns (different radiation directions, gains, or) because they have different phases or phase differences with adjacent channels. Shapes, etc., and examples of beamforming are on the right side of FIG. 3). In some embodiments, the corresponding phases (ie, delay times) of each channel may be different in order to allow the antenna array 270 to achieve a particular direction or gain (ie, amplitude). Therefore, the adjustment circuit 230 of all or a part of the channels adjusts the phase of the initial electric signal ie3 or the voltage signal vi input by the adjustment circuit 230, respectively. Therefore, the signal may be delayed and the adjusted electrical signals aj3 of different channels are out of phase, thereby forming a phase difference and achieving different directional beamforming. In addition, all or part of the adjustment circuit 230 may adjust the amplitude of the initial electrical signal ie3 or the voltage signal vi input by the adjustment circuit 230, respectively, thereby changing the beam width or gain.

In one embodiment, the controller 290 sets the beam pattern corresponding to the antenna array 270 (ie, beamforming to be formed, including beam directivity and field pattern) and forms the adjustment command C2 accordingly. You can do it. Each adjustment circuit 230 may generate an adjustment electric signal aj3 based on the adjustment command C2. In other words, the amplitude and / or phase of the initial electrical signal ie3 or voltage signal vi is controlled via commands issued by all or part of the controller 290 of the tuning circuit 230, thereby adjusting the phase and / or gain. do.

In some embodiments, the amplitude and / or phase of the initial electrical signal ie3 or voltage signal vi of some channels is fixed and only the amplitude or phase of the initial electrical signal ie3 or voltage signal vi of other parts of the channel. Is adjusted.

In addition, the same components of different channels can also cause phase differences. Therefore, phase calibration is required. In another embodiment, the controller 290 may set the initial phase and form another tuning command C2 for calibration accordingly. Each adjustment circuit 230 may calibrate to this initial phase based on the adjustment command C2 in order to match the initial phase. Therefore, the phase adjustment of each subsequent channel makes it possible to accurately adjust the phase to a specific beam pattern.

In some embodiments, the controller 290 connects to and controls the tuning circuit 230, such as (Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), Universal Synchronous A Synchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART), or I2C. An internal transmission interface may be provided. In addition, an external arithmetic unit (such as a personal computer, notebook computer, or smartphone) may connect the controller 290 via an external transmission interface (such as Ethern or USB) to control the controller 290. The arithmetic unit may provide a window interface to facilitate configuration by the operator and modify, read, or store configuration data for commands or beam fields. Every time the system is restarted, the calibration data stored in the non-volatile memory is read into the memory by the controller 290, and the controller 290 data in the register of the adjustment circuit 230 via the internal transmission interface in order to achieve the calibration function. To write. In addition, the arithmetic unit may dynamically load the functional library to provide software development and calibration automation functions.

Note that the tuning circuit 230 in the analog beamforming architecture adjusts the phase difference generated at the optical endlink to further calibrate the phase matching. After phase calibration, front-end beamforming becomes achievable via analog beamforming architecture. The back-end optical beamforming architecture allows for fine tuning, which allows for more efficient overall beamforming and wider tuning.

In one embodiment, each amplifier 250 may amplify the regulated electrical signal aj3 in order to output the amplified electrical signal am3. In other words, the amplitude of the amplified electrical signal am3 may exceed the amplitude of the regulated electrical signal aj3.

Next, the antenna array 270 may radiate an electromagnetic wave based on the regulated electrical signal aj3 (step S650). The regulated electrical signal aj3, which assigns different phases and / or amplitudes to multiple channels, allows the antenna array 270 to form a phased array, thereby enhancing the intensity of electromagnetic waves in one direction and the intensity of electromagnetic waves in other directions. Note that it suppresses. Therefore, the farfield pattern of the antenna array 270 can be equal to the expected beam pattern to be formed.

In some embodiments, if the amplifier 250 is provided, the antenna array 270 may radiate electromagnetic waves based on the amplified electrical signal am3.

Similar invention concepts can be applied to the receiving end in addition to the transmitting end.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the components of the photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver 700 according to one embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 7, the receiver 700 includes, but is not limited to, an antenna array 710, adjustment circuits 751 and 753, electrical-optical converters 771 and 773, and a controller 790. In some embodiments, the receiver 700 may further include amplifiers 731 and 733. The mounting formats of the antenna arrays 710, amplifiers 731 and 733, adjustment circuits 751 and 753, and controller 790 are the antenna arrays 170 and 270, amplifiers 151, 153, and 250 of the transmitters 100 and 200, adjustment circuits 131, 133, and so on. And 230, and controllers 190 and 290, which are not repeated here.

The main difference between the receiver 700 and the transmitter 100 is that the amplifiers 731 and 733 and the amplifiers 151 and 153 are in opposite directions, respectively, and the adjustment circuits 751 and 753 and the adjustment circuits 131 and 133 are opposite, respectively. It is a point that is a direction. In addition, in the receiver 700, the photoelectric converters 111 and 113 are replaced by electric-optical converters 771 and 773.

Specifically, the antenna array 720 includes two antennas 711 and 713. The two antennas 711 and 713 radiate electromagnetic waves and receive two received electrical signals re1 and re2.

The amplifiers 731 and 733 are connected to the two antennas 711 and 713 of the antenna array 710, respectively, and are configured to amplify the received electrical signals re1 and re2 in order to output the amplified electrical signals am4 and am5, respectively.

The tuning circuits 751 and 753 are connected to the antennas 711 and 713 or the amplifiers 731 and 733, respectively, and output the tuning electrical signals aj4 and aj5, so that the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array 710 (that is, a specific beam pattern). ), The amplified electric signals am4 and am5 are delayed, or the received electric signals re1 and re2 are received, respectively.

In some embodiments, the conditioning circuits 751 and 753 further adjust the amplitudes of the amplified electrical signals am4 and am5 or the received electrical signals re1 and re2 based on the beam pattern.

The electric-optical converters 771 and 773 are connected to the adjustment circuits 751 and 753. The electrical-optical converters 771 and 773 may be laser diodes (LDs), laser generators, or other generators that convert electrical energy into light energy. In one embodiment, the electrical-optical converters 771 and 773 are configured to convert the regulated electrical signals aj4 and aj5 into optical signals о4 and о5.

In addition, in one embodiment, the controller 790 is coupled to the tuning circuits 751 and 753 to set the beam pattern corresponding to the antenna array 710 and to form the tuning command C3 accordingly. The adjustment circuits 751 and 753 may generate adjustment electrical signals aj4 and aj5 based on the adjustment command C3.

In another embodiment, for phase calibration, the controller 790 may be configured to set the initial phase and accordingly form another adjustment command C3 for phase calibration. The adjustment circuits 751 and 753 may calibrate the initial phase based on the adjustment command C3 regarding this phase in order to match the initial phase.

In addition, embodiments of the invention may be further applied to architectures with more channels.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver 800 according to another embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 8, the receiver 800 includes, but is not limited to, a plurality of antenna arrays 810, a plurality of amplifiers 830, a plurality of adjustment circuits 850, and a plurality of electric-optical converters 870. .. Each channel corresponds to an antenna in an antenna array 810 connected in series, an amplifier 830, a tuning circuit 850, and an electrical-optical converter 870.

The mounting format of the antenna array 810, the amplifier 830, the adjustment circuit 850, and the electric-optical converter 870 is the antenna array 710, the amplifiers 731 and 733, the adjustment circuits 751 and 753, and the electric-optical converters 771 and 773 in FIG. It can be seen in each of the explanations of, and will not be repeated here.

Note that the number of channels in the receiver 800 may exceed 10 groups, such as 16 groups, 32 groups, or 64 groups. However, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the number of channels. In some embodiments, more antennas in the antenna array 810 may facilitate beamforming.

Similarly, the receiver 800 of the embodiments of the present invention provides a photoelectric hybrid (also known as RoF) beamforming architecture. The electrical-optical transducer 870 forms an optical beamforming architecture in the optical domain. The amplifier 830, the conditioning circuit 850, and the electrical-optical converter 870 form an analog beamforming architecture in the radio frequency domain.

The operation process of the receivers 700 and 800 will be described below. For the sake of clear explanation, the receiver 800 is mainly used. Descriptions of the same or corresponding components within the receiver 700 are found in the description of the receiver 800 and are not repeated herein.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a photoelectric hybrid beamforming signal processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 9, each antenna of the antenna array 810 receives the corresponding received electrical signal re3 (step S910).

In one embodiment, each amplifier 830 amplifies the received electrical signal re3 in order to output the corresponding amplified electrical signal am6.

Since each adjustment circuit 850 outputs the corresponding adjustment electric signal aj6, each adjustment circuit 850 delays the corresponding received electric signal re3 based on the expected beam pattern formed by the corresponding antenna array 810 (step S930). Each antenna of the antenna array 810 is assigned a different phase delay to calibrate the difference in arrival time of the wave front of the radio signal. Therefore, the corresponding received beam pattern can be provided based on the wavefront arrival direction (DoA) of the radio signal.

In some embodiments, if the amplifier 830 is provided, the tuning circuit 850 may delay the amplified electrical signal am6 respectively.

Each electrical-optical converter 870 converts the corresponding regulated electrical signal aj6 into the corresponding optical signal о6 (step S950).

In addition, the controller 890 may set the beam pattern or initial phase corresponding to each antenna array 810 and form the adjustment command C4 accordingly. Therefore, each adjustment circuit 850 can generate the adjustment electric signal aj6 or calibrate the initial phase based on the adjustment command C4.

Note that the details of the steps can be found in the descriptions of FIGS. 2-4 and 7, respectively, and are not repeated here. Similarly, the specified beamforming performs phase calibration of the adjustment circuit 850 of each channel, and then the phase and / or amplitude of the adjustment electrical signal aj6 output by the adjustment circuit 850 corresponds to the specified beamforming. And / or can be achieved by adjusting to amplitude.

In summary, in the photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter, receiver, and signal processing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, the photoelectric hybrid beamforming architecture is realized via the transmitter and the receiver. The phase of each electrical signal is tuned and the phase of each signal in each channel is designed to meet the beam pattern requirements of the antenna array. In addition, the specified phase difference is accurately formed in multiple channels and beamforming is achieved. Unlike conventional architectures, it is not necessary to provide a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and variable delay line (VDL) in the photoelectric hybrid beamforming architecture of the embodiment of the present invention, which reduces the number of components. In addition, the photoelectric hybrid beamforming architecture of the present invention can be easily adjusted to the specified phase, which completes the phase calibration.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in embodiments, the embodiments are not intended to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

The photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter, receiver, and signal processing method can be applied to adjust the phase of an electric signal.

10: Photoelectric hybrid beam forming architecture 11: Waveshift multiplexer 12: Coupler 13: Variable delay line 14: Optical antenna array λ1, λ2, λ3, λ4: Wavelength 100: 200: Transmitter 111, 113, 210: Photoelectric converter 131 , 133, 230, 751, 753, 850: Adjustment circuit 150, 151, 153, 250, 731, 733, 850: Amplifier 170, 270, 710, 810: Antenna array 171, 173, 711, 713: Antenna 190, 290 , 790, 890: Controller 205: Optical generator 220: Transimpedance amplifier 700, 800: Receiver 771, 773, 870: Electric-optical converter о1, о2, о3, о4, о5, о6: Optical signal ie1, ie2 , Ie3: Initial electric signal aj1, aj2, aj3, aj4, aj5, aj6: Adjustment electric signal am1, am2, am3, am4, am5, am6: Amplified electric signal C1, C2, C3, C4: Adjustment command TLS: Variable light source MUX: Multiplexer IM: Modular LO: Local oscillator EDFA: Elbium-added optical fiber amplifier DEMUX: Demultiplexer CS: Reference signal M1, M2, M3: Module L1, L2, L3, L4, L5: Optical signal vi: Voltage signal re1, re2, re3: Received electric signal

Claims (15)

It is a photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter.
A first photoelectric transducer adapted to convert a first optical signal to a first initial electrical signal,
A first adjustment circuit connected to the first photoelectric converter and configured to delay the first initial electric signal based on an expected beam pattern formed by an antenna array in order to output a first adjustment electric signal. When,
A second photoelectric transducer adapted to convert a second optical signal to a second initial electrical signal,
A second adjustment circuit connected to the second photoelectric converter and adapted to delay the second initial electric signal based on the beam pattern in order to output the second adjustment electric signal.
The first antenna connected to the first adjustment circuit and
Including the antenna array including the second antenna connected to the second adjustment circuit.
The antenna array radiates electromagnetic waves based on the first regulated electrical signal and the second regulated electrical signal.
Photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter. The first adjustment circuit further adjusts the amplitude of the first initial electrical signal based on the beam pattern.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 1. Further including an amplifier, which is connected to the first tuning circuit and the first antenna and adapted to amplify the first tuning electrical signal in order to output an amplified electrical signal.
The first antenna radiates based on the amplified electrical signal.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 1. The phase of the first adjusted electric signal and the phase of the second adjusted electric signal are different.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 1. Further including a controller coupled to the first tuning circuit and the second tuning circuit and adapted to set the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array and form a tuning command accordingly.
The first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit generate the first adjustment electric signal and the second adjustment electric signal, respectively, based on the adjustment command.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 1. Further included is a controller coupled to the first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit, adapted to set the initial phase and form a second adjustment command accordingly.
The first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit are calibrated to the initial phase based on the second adjustment command.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 1. Further comprising a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) coupled between the first photoelectric transducer and the first adjusting circuit.
The first photoelectric transducer, the TIA, the first adjustment circuit, and the amplifier are all packaged together.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming transmitter according to claim 3. It is a photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver.
The first antenna, adapted to receive the first received electrical signal,
An antenna array, including a second antenna, adapted to receive a second received electrical signal.
With a first tuning circuit adapted to delay the first received electrical signal based on the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array to connect to the first antenna and output the first tuning electrical signal. ,
A first electrical-optical converter connected to the first adjustment circuit and adapted to convert the first adjustment electrical signal into a first optical signal.
A second adjustment circuit connected to the second antenna and adapted to delay the second received electric signal based on the beam pattern in order to output the second adjustment electric signal.
Including a second electrical-optical converter connected to and adapted to convert the second regulated electrical signal to the second optical signal.
Photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver. The first adjusting circuit further adjusts the amplitude of the first received electric signal based on the beam pattern.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver according to claim 8. Further including an amplifier, which is connected to the first antenna and the first adjustment circuit and adapted to amplify the first received electrical signal in order to output an amplified electrical signal.
The first adjustment circuit delays the amplified electrical signal.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver according to claim 8. The phase of the first adjusted electric signal and the phase of the second adjusted electric signal are different.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver according to claim 8. Further including a controller coupled to the first tuning circuit and the second tuning circuit and adapted to set the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array and form a tuning command accordingly.
The first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit generate the first adjustment electric signal and the second adjustment electric signal, respectively, based on the adjustment command.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver according to claim 8. Further included is a controller coupled to the first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit, adapted to set the initial phase and form a second adjustment command accordingly.
The first adjustment circuit and the second adjustment circuit are calibrated to the initial phase based on the second adjustment command.
The photoelectric hybrid beamforming receiver according to claim 9. A photoelectric hybrid beamforming signal processing method suitable for a transmitter.
Converting the first optical signal and the second optical signal into the first initial electric signal and the second initial electric signal, respectively.
In order to output the first adjusted electric signal and the second adjusted electric signal, the first initial electric signal and the second initial electric signal are delayed based on the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array, respectively.
Includes radiating electromagnetic waves through the antenna array based on the first regulated electrical signal and the second regulated electrical signal.
The antenna array comprises two antennas corresponding to the first regulated electrical signal and the second regulated electrical signal, respectively.
Photoelectric hybrid beamforming signal processing method. A photoelectric hybrid beamforming signal processing method suitable for receivers.
Receiving the first received electrical signal and the second received electrical signal via the two antennas of the antenna array, respectively.
In order to output the first adjusted electric signal and the second adjusted electric signal, the first received electric signal and the second received electric signal are delayed based on the expected beam pattern formed by the antenna array, respectively.
It includes converting the first adjusted electric signal and the second adjusted electric signal into a first optical signal and a second optical signal, respectively.
Photoelectric hybrid beamforming signal processing method.

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